Holt, a five-time Jeopardy winner and nuclear physicist, was the only member to beat Watson in a round of the game, earning $8,600 to Watson's $6,200. Overall, Watson pulled in $40,300 to the members' $30,000.

The focus of the evening extended beyond the novelty of pitting the lawmakers against the machine, and IBM wanted to emphasize the more practical applications of Watson's technology.

"The simulated match with Watson and congressional members tonight is more than a trivia contest," Christopher Padilla, vice president, IBM governmental programs said in a release. "The technology behind Watson represents a major advancement in computing. In the data-intensive environment of government, this type of technology can help organizations make better decisions and improve how government helps its citizens."

"In the first round, Rep. Rush Holt, D-New Jersey, and Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, sparred with (a slightly slower version of) the computer, appearing in its now-familiar avatar form, although Watson quickly delighted the crowd of IBM employees and congressional staffers with his quick, human-like answers."

Holt is certainly smart, but IBM is smarter - they dumbed down Watson enough to let the CongressCritter win. Sort of the like the Hall-of-Fame pitcher grooving one in to the celebrity. More publicity for them!

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